Apparatus for recovering waste materials



Oct. 16, 1945. G. T. PEARCE ET AL 2,386,975

APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING WASTE MATERIALS Filed June 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l I Tl|:'.l. 61 63 Q3,

6 16A u a z. u a a I INVENTOR '6ALE T PEARCE.

1945- G. T. PEARCE ET AL. 7

' APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING WASTE MATERIALS Filed June 27 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR /ug T PEARCE.

TTORNEY Patented Oct. 16 i945 assesses arrows iron '1 o earn meanness Gale 'll. Pearce and Grover 4C. odes, some t N. 2., assiors to .llo-ll/ianville'corporatlon,

New York, N. iii, a corporation oi New York Application tune 27, 1941, Serial No. source (on. 241-40) i The instant invention relates to the recovery 6 Claims.

converted into a major proportion of fibres and a minor proportion of substantially spherical unfiberized particles or shot, partially formed fibres, coarse fibres, fibre bundles, and the like, which are deleterious to mineral wool products and,

into fractions of difierent-sims. The fibre is carriedby an air stre to any suitable place. of deposit.

Our invention will be more fully understood it further objects and advantages thereof will become apparent when reference is made to the more detailed description thereof which is to hence, are separated from the fibres as much as possible by the use of shot traps and the like. The shot, coarse fibres, and fibre bundles form a mass in the traps. The shot, which is of substantially uniform specific gravity but varies in size, includes substantial fractions which have been determined to be of real utility in substitution for sand and other granules as employed,

for example, in the manufacture of rooflngs and sidings.

However, for this and other commercial purposes, the shot must be substantially completely free of fibre or partially formed fibre, a requirement which has heretofore prevented any substantial commercial use of the shot.

The principal object of the instant invention is the provision of a method and apparatus for recovering waste material of the type referred to for commercial use.

Another object of the invention i the provision of a method and apparatus for separating mineral wool shot from fibres and the like with which it is intermixed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a method and apparatus for separating mineral wool shot from a fibrous intermixture and for classifying the recovered particles as to size in a continuous operation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a method and apparatus of the type rei'erred to, adapted for high capacity and low cos commercial operation.

' 5 of conveyor, or the like, or by manual operation.

follow and to'the accompanying drawings, in which: v I Fi 1 is an elevational view, partially d1a- -matic, of an apparatus in accordance with the in stant invention and for use in cag out the method thereof;

. Fig. 2 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section and on an enlarged scale, of a 0f the pparatus of Fig. 1; t

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, on an enled scale,

' taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2. the apparatus comprises a hopper it, pted to receive a supply of the particle and fibre o e from which the particles are to be recover-d.-

Although not illustrated, it will be underst that the hopper may be fed by any suitable type Hopper it is secured in-a suitable manner, as by the T connection 82 illustrated, to a feed. duct Briefly stated,'our invention resides in the prolivered directly to an air classifier for separation it terminating at and in counication with a jet housing it.

Housing it encloses jet nozzle it, connected to i its apex substantially on the center line of housing nected in pipe 2t is a suitable pressure gauge, as

indicated at 28. Referring now particularly to Fig. 1, housing It and baflle it, as well as a p rtion of feed duct is and fluid supply pipe to, are enclosed in a suitable housing comprising hood 30 and hopper 32. Hood at is connected to exhaust line'tit leading to any suitable type of collector for the fibrous content of the fibre-shot mixture. If desired, an exhausting device may be connected in line 14, or the fluid blast issuing from nozzle I! (Fig. 2) may be alone utilized for carrying the fibres through hood ll and duct 84 to the collecting device. Duct 84 may include a damper illustrated dltically at "A, for controlne the movement of fluid therethrough, and also is preferably provided with an orifice at 38 and flow meter (not shown) connected as by leads 38.

Hopper 32 includes slanting bottom 40, whereby material in the hopper is discharged by gravity through a port 42 onto a shaker screen 44 of a mesh size such that the recovered granules will pass therethrough. Screen 44 is preferably given a reciprocating motion by a mechanism of any suitable or conventional type (not shown).

A hopper 46 is located below shaker screen 44 and port 42 and includes a slanting bottom discharging materials deposited thereon into duct 4!. -Duct 45 includes an end 50 suitably opening into the room, and is provided with baflles 52 (see particularly Fig. 3) comprising circular plates having relatively closely spaced perforations. Duct 48 communicates with classifying chamber 54 of larger cross sectional area than the duct, and chamber 54 is in communication at its upper end by means of a duct 56 with a second classifying chamber 58 of greater cross sectional area than chamber 54. Aswill be understood, any number of classifying chambers may be employed; depending upon the degree to which the particles are to be separated into fractions of difierent size. Chambers 54 and 58 include hopper bottoms 60 and gates 62, whereby materials gathered therein may be discharged into suitable containers or onto conveyor belts, or the like.

During this action the fibres and particles are separated, the fibres moving upwardly with the The upper end of chamber 58 is in communication with a duct 6|, which, in turn, is in communication 'with .the exhaust side of asuitable fan or other exhausting 'means. Duct 6i includes damper 62A for controlling the passage of air therethrough and is preferably provided with an orifice 63 and flow meter (not shown) connected in the duct as by leads 54.

In the operation of the apparatus above described and in the carrying out of the method of .the instant invention, a mixture of mineral wool shot, coarse fibres, partially formed fibres, fibre bundles. and the like, as it is obtained from a mineral wool forming apparatus, is discharged manually or by a suitable conveyor system into air, conveyed by pipe 20, is partially diverted through tube 26 to form a pusher jet issuing from the end of the tube in plug 21, the pusher le together with the inspirational effect of the jet issuing from nozzle 18, providing a constant movement of the material from hopper Ill to the main jet The material is impelled or blasted by the jet issuing from nozzle 18 against baflle 24 with rebounding of the particles between the surface of the battle and the surrounding walls of hood 30,

air supplied by the blast and passing through duct 34 under the impelling force of such supplied air or by the exhausting action of a suitable fan, or the like, if desired.

The separated particles, which are of too great a mass to be carried by the air stream, drop by gravity into hopper 32 and pass therefrom through port 42 onto shaker screen 44. The shaker screen, as previously advised, is provided with mesh of a sufflcient size to permit the particles to pass readily therethrough, but to retain the minor proportion of fibres which have agglomerated into bundles of sufiicient mass to fall into the hopper rather than be carried by the air stream. The particles pass through shaker screen 44 into hopper 48, and from thence into duct 48 through which a stream of air is moving at high velocity due to the air exhaustion means, such as a fan, connected into duct 60. The velocity of the air movement in duct 48 is such as to reverse the downward gravitational movements of the particles and carry them upwardly in the duct to chamber 54. To enhance the lifting efiect of the air stream in duct 48 and to eliminate the necessity of a substantially elongated duct which might otherwise be necessary to effect the reversing movement, baflies 52 are provided, which, as previously pointed out, include a plurality of closely spaced apertures 53 which divide the column of air into a plurality of high velocity jets operating to break up the mass of particles and initiate their upward movement.

The diameter of chamber 54 is suitably proportioned, depending upon the size of particles to be segregated, to lower the velocity of air movement therethrough sufiiciently that the desired sizes of particles drop to the bottom of the chamber into hopper S0. The diameter of chamber 58 is similarly suitably proportioned-so that the velocity of air movement therein is lowered to such an extent that a finer fraction of the particles will no longer be carried by the air stream but drop to .the bottom of the chamber into its hopper 60.

Still finer fractions, dust, and the like, will be carried by the air stream through duct 60 tea suitable disposal point. As will be readily understood, further classifying chambers may be employed if a greater degree of subdivision of the particles into fractions of difierent size is desired.

As will be understood from the above description of the apparatus and method, the instant invention provides for the rapid, continuous recovery of particles. particularly mineral wool shot, from amass of fibres and shot, and their separation into fractions'of desired size. The recovered shot, free of any appreciable fibre, is employed in direct substitution for sand, slate, and the like, particularly that used for a first surfacing on asphalt shingles of the overlay type in which a second coating is applied to a gritted surface. of a first coating layer. The recovered shot may also be employed for other purposes.

Having thus described our invention in rather full detail, it will be understood that these details need not be strictly adhered to, but that various changes and modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subloined claims.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for separating discrete particles from a mixture of fibre and particles, comprising a nozzle for a fluid jet, a conical baille ineluding an apex spaced from and in line with saidnozzle, a housing surrounding said nozzle and leading to a point adjacent said bafile, said baflle overly g the adjacent end of said housing, means for supplying a fluid medium under pressure to said nozzle, and fluid pressure means supplied from said first-mentioned means for conveying a mixture of particles and fibres into position to be impelled against said baflle by the jet issuing from said nozzle.

2. An apparatus ,for separating discrete particles from a mixture of particles, and fibre, comprising a nozzle fora fluid jet, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said jet, a con ical baille, a housing to surround said jet and leading to said baflle, a feed line for the passage of a mixture of particles and fibres to said jet, a hood surrounding said heme and housing and terminating in a hopper below said bafile, said hood having an outlet for said fluid and fibers located above said hopper, a classifier, and means for ,conducting particles continuously from said hopper to said classifier.

3. An apparatus for separating discrete particles from a mixture of particles and fibre, comprising a nozzle for a fluid jet, a conical baffle, a housing to surround said jet and leading to said baflle, a feed line for, the passage of a mixture of particles and fibres to said jet, means for applying fluid pressure to move said mixture along said feed line to said jet, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said nozzle and said first-mentioned means, a hood surrounding said baiiie and housing and terminating in a hopper below said baiiie and including an opening above said bafile for escape of said fluid and fibres carried thereby, a classifier, and means for conducting particles continuously from said hop- Der to said classifier.

4. An apparatus for separating discrete parprising a nozzle for a fluid jet, a conical bafile, a housing to surround said jet and leading to said bafile, a feed line for the passage of a mixture of particles and fibres to said jet, a hood surround- 5 ing saidbaffle and housing and terminating in 15 ical baffle including an apex spaced from and in line with said jet, a housing surrounding said jet and terminating adjacent said baiiie, a feed line -for the passage of a mixture of shot and fibres 1 to said jet, a supply hopper in communication 20 with said feed line, and means for applying fluid pressure to move said'mixture along said feed line to said Jet.

- 6. An apparatus for recovering mineral wool" shot from a mixture of fibre and shot, compris- 5 lng a substantially vertically directed fluid jet defining nozzle, means forsupplying fluid under pressure to said nozzle, a conical bafiie including an apex spaced from and in linewith said jet, a housing surrounding said jet-and terminating ad- 30 jacent said bailie, a substantially horizontal feed line for the passage of a mixture of particles and fibres to said jet, a supply hopper in communication with said feed line, means for applying fluid pressure to move said mixture along said feed line to said jet, a hood surrounding said bafiie and terminating in ahopper, and an exhaust duct connected in said hood for removing fluid and fibres therefrom.

- GALE T. PEARCE.

(anovnn o. RHODES. ticles from a mixture of particles and fibre, com 

